Vaporizing device for fuel oils



R. L. BOWMAN.

VAPORIZING DEVICE FOR FUEL OILS APPLICATION FILED 00117, 1913.

1,416,938. tented May 23,1922.

I 711/6 Info 7": R056 rt L ee Bownm 11/ ROBERT LEE BOWMAN, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

varonrzme DEVICE ron. FUEL OILS.

Specification of Letters Iatent. Patented May 23, 1922,

Application filed. October 17, 1918. Serial No. 258,602.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Rommr LEE BOWMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Knoxville, county of Knox, and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in vaporizing Devices for Fuel Oils, of which the following is a specification.

' a va-rporizing device which may be used in connection with any ordinary carbureter for running an internal combustion engine of an automobile, or other motor vehicle.

A further obj ect of my invention is to provide a device of the type described which may be initially operated by means of a storage battery, or other suitable source of ourrent, and which may be thereafter operated by a generator or dynamo driven by the engine shaft, suitable switching means being provided for changing from one to the other.

A further object of my invention is to provide a vaporizing unit which may be inserted in the intake manifold wall, after the manner of a spark plug.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification. and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. forming part of this application, in which- Figure 1 is a general view showing one embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a detailed view of the vaporizing unit;

Figure 3 is a detailed view of a gauze strainer; and

Figure 4 is a detailed view of one of the gauze strainers'between the intake manifold and the valve chambers of the engine.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a three-way switch 1, one terminal of the switch being connected by a conductor 2 to a storage battery 3. the other terminal of which is grounded by a conductor 4 on the frame of the engine. The second terminal of the switch 1 is connected by a conductor 5 with one terminal of the dynamo-generator 6, the other terminal of which (not shown) is grounded on the engine frame in the usual manner. The third terminal of the switch 1 is connected by conductor 7 with the vaporizing units, similar to that shown in Figure 2. Each of these units consists of a cylindrical shell 8 having a threaded portion 9, and a many-sided portion 10, by means of which the unit may be screwed into position. I prefer to use a hexagonal end portion 10, although it may be of square or any other suitable form. Disposed on the interior of the shell 8 is a resistance element 11, of German silver. or other suitable material, one portion of this resistance element being formed in a spiral following the contour of the wall of the shell but spaced therefrom. and. being grounded to the body portion of the shell at one end of the spiral, and the other end extending through the head 10 to a binding post 12. Suitable insulation 13 is provided between the resistance element 11 and the head 10, and also between the binding post 12 and the head.

Referring now to Figure 1, the intake manifold 14 of the engine 15, is tapped in one or more places, and the units for vaporizing the oil are screwed therein. In the drawings, I have shown three of these units at 14 149, and 14 respectively, each of these units being connected by the conductor 7 to the switch 1. The carbureter 16 may be any ordinary type. Between the carbureter 16 and the intake manifold is a pipe 17 which is provided with a coneshaped gauze strainer 18, like that shown in Figure 3. Between the outlets of the in.- take manifold and the valve chambers of the engine are disposed discs of gauze 19.

The air intake pipe of the carbureter has its intake end close to the exhaust pipe 20, which leads from the exhaust manifold 21. A cold air branch 22 communicates with the hot air pipe 23. A valve 24 is pivoted at 25 in such a manner that it may close either the tube 23 or the tube 22. i

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. In starting the engine, the switch is turned in a manner indicated in Fig. 1, and current from the storage battery passes through the heating element, thereby heating the walls of the shell 8. these walls being closed to prevent ignition of the vaporized oil. As the oil is drawn from the carburetor by the suction of the engine, when the latter is cranked, it passes through the gauze 18 which tends to split up the atoms or molecules or other particles of fuel, so that the latter are thoroughly broken up and heated and vaporized on passing the vaporizing units disposed of in the intake manifold. \Vhen the engine picks up, the switch 1 may be turned to connect the generator 6 with the vaporizing unit shown in Fig. 2 thereafter supplying the heat necessary from the enerator.

Often, after the engine is started, it is unnecessary to use the vaporizing unit, as shown in Fig. 2, since with the construction shown, the hot air, coming through the pipe 23, may be sufficient to provide heat enough for vaporizing the oil. In such case, the switch 1 may be turned to cut off the storage battery and the generator from lthe vaporizing unit, and the engine operates then in the ordinary manner. The provision of the gauze discs 19 causes a further splitting up and mixing of the vaporized fuel, thus adding to the efficiency of the device.

In case it should be undesirable to make use of warm air, the "warm air pipe 23 may be closed by turning the valve 24 into the dotted line position, thus closing off the warm air pipe, and opening the cold air pipe 22. i

A device of the type described furnishes an admirable means for utilizing a heavy oil like kerosene. It obviates the necessity of providing a special form of carbureter, since any ordinary form may be used. \Vhile I have shown the vaporizing units as being placed at various portions of the intake manifold, it is obvious that one or more of these vaporizing units might be used with out departing 1n the least from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination with the exhaust and intake manifolds of an internal combustion engine, the latter including a carbureter; valve-controlled means capable of supplying heated air to the carlmreter from the exhaust manifold under certain conditions, and electrically operated means for heating the carbureted air in the manifold under other conditions, said means including suitably introduced resistance elements with a common source of energy.

2. A self-contained heating unit, comprising a hollow body with a relatively heavy externally threaded open end to be screwed into a manifold opening, and a depending relatively thin closed-ended shell; a suitable closure cap secured on the threaded end, with an opening and a covering dielectric mounting; and a resistance element occupying and grounded in the shell, with a connection through said mounting to a binding post carried thereby.

ROBERT LEE BOWMAN. 

